Golden Hair
by Rays of Color
Summary: A short collection of one-shots, made before I saw the movie. I purposely only watched the first trailer, so these differ substantially from the actual movie. None the less, I think they're fun, so please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: a short series of one shots written before Tangled actually came out. I purposely avoided trailers before seeing the movie, because I didn't want to spoil it for myself. So, obviously, these are inaccurate, based on what I thought might/wanted to happen. I thought I would share them with you! So please don't tell me I got it wrong: I know. Like I said, these one shots are my impression of the movie before I saw it. So, obviously, Rapunzel and Flynn are hard to get completely wrong, but since I only saw the first trailer, I was poorly informed (on purpose) of everything else. Enjoy, and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled

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><p>"I want to climb to the top of that tree!" She cried, pointing.<p>

Flynn followed her direction, and raised his eyebrows. The tree had to be sixty feet tall.

"You might want to think about it first," he responded, but he could tell by her wide eyes and excited grin she wasn't listening at all. Already her hair was snaking up the tree as she approached it's base. He sighed and followed, watching as she wrapped one hand in the hair, it already helping her up. Her other hand was free, grabbing branches as she came close. Flynn sighed, and climbed up after her.

Before long, Rapunzel was approaching the top, and no longer even bothering to reach out a hand to grab the passing branches to steady herself.

"You know, you might at least pretend you're being careful," he called up to her in exasperation. He was still climbing the lower branches, and she was able to reach the last few.

"Why? I'm perfectly fine. My hair's better than any rope," she yelled back. "You worried, Flynn?"

He paused to roll his eyes, even though she wasn't watching him. "Hardly. I just don't want to clean up the mess you'll make if you fall," he retorted. He waited for her to respond, and frowned when she didn't. What was she doing? He craned his neck, and froze. A gray haired witch, probably her "keeper", hovered on a broom a few feet above the blonde girl. Though it was far away, he could manage to make out a silver knife as it sliced through the coil of hair wrapped around the trunk of the tree. Then he was no longer paying attention to the witch, even as she flew away cackling.

The world seemed to slow after he heard the scream. He could do nothing as the girl to whom he had shown the world fell through the branches, hitting and breaking some on the way. She hit a branch below him, slipping off and landing on the ground on her back with a dull thud.

"No. No!" he shouted, swinging himself off his perch and landing agilely on the balls of his boot-shod feet. He ran over to her unconscious form.

Her now-shorted hair was splayed in all directions, and for once, was completely motionless. Her eyes were shut, and her hand were limp instead of clenched.

"No, you'll be okay," he said to her lifeless form. "You're okay. You've gotta be okay."

He couldn't ignore the flood of tumult inside him. How could she be dead? Only seconds ago she was laughing and talking to him. Someone with as much will to live couldn't die so soon after they'd first seen the world.

"NO!" he shouted, turning and kicking the base of the tree. "Ow!" he involuntarily hopped on one foot, clutching the foot he'd just hurt. Flynn wasn't paying attention, and tripped over the girl laying on the ground behind him.

"Mmmph," came a mumble.

Flynn sprung to his feet as if poked by a spear. He saw her stir, and knelt beside her.

"Rapunzel. Rapunzel! Can you hear me?"

"mmph...ow. My head," she mumbled in response. "Is it broken?"

He laughed with relief, but slid a hand behind her head. He couldn't feel any bumps or cuts, but he wasn't exactly an expert. She fell a long way, and he wanted someone who actually knew what they were doing to check up on her. He knew a local physician who could check up on Rapunzel. So Flynn scooped the girl up in his arms, cradling her against his chest, and jogged off in the direction of the wiseman. Rapunzel's seventy feet of hair shone in a golden ribbon that trailed along after him.

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><p>Don't forget to review!<p> 


	2. Adventures With Goldie

A/N: these one-shots live! Again, I made these before the movie, so obviously they do not follow the plot. This one is especially vague, because I didn't know what was actually going to happen in the movie. Enjoy! :D

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><p>Flynn never meant to fall in love. He enjoyed flirting with every attractive maiden that passed him by, whether they blushed and turned away, or flirted right back. They all showed some visible reaction to his charm though. Perhaps that was what made <em>her <em>different.

Really, his day had been going poorly at that point, running through the woods with a posse of _entirely_ too determined guardsmen. He was lucky enough to escape their notice, at least momentarily, but had to find some place better to hide. He could hear them rooting around through the forest. So he hightailed it up a lonely tower, mistaking it to be abandoned.

The next thing he knew, he was flat on the floor. Something whipped around in the corner of his eye. His adrenaline spiked for the second time in only an hour. Geez, he really needed to consider a new occupation, before he wore out his heart. He fought two golden ribbons for a _very_ short time before he was knocked out for the second time in so many minutes.

He awoke, bound to a chair by those same golden ribbons. They looked freakishly like hair. But that was impossible. That would have to mean some poor soul had a _mountain_ of hair...that moved?

His musings stopped as he spotted movement in the shadows. Then the controller – the owner? - of all that hair appeared.

She was a short girl, thin, with a round face. Flynn noticed she was very wary, as if she hadn't seen another person in a very long time. Her large green eyes were guarded, pretty features set in an expression between fear and anger. His charm failed him for the first time, her expression remained the same even after he used his "smolder", infamous among the ladies.

It wasn't long before they were a team, he helping her out of her tower and guiding them through the forest, she bouncing with an enthusiasm for everything Flynn thought he'd never seen before.

He didn't notice how much he cared for her at first. It started with very little things, a comforting pat on the shoulder, a friendly smile. Then he had an arm around her waist, making sure she didn't fall behind as they ran for their lives. A hand tightening about her arm to stop her, to keep her from running straight over the cliff (he wasn't sure how she'd react. Had she ever seen anything like it before?). Him holding her in place while she balked at the occupants of the bar (hey, he was used to those people. He didn't realize they would terrify her).

Then pure, unadulterated terror when the guards swarmed her. What was wrong, why couldn't she fight them off? (That hair of hers sure packed a punch.)

Realizing he loved her right when he was positive he would never see her again. Cursing her for being so darn amazing. So pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, in ways no other woman he had ever seen had been. Her huge green eyes, so expressive. Her bright smile, her round and friendly face. Her insane amount of hair, every bit glimmering like the gold his profession demanded he steal. Her spunky, courageous, inquisitive, ever-enthusiastic reactions. The way she responded to new situations, new places.

Then Flynn acted, never stopping to think. He _had_ to save her, no matter what else. If he survived, he would tell her how much he loved her. She had to know, even if she didn't return his feelings.

And he succeeded. As soon as he could, he swept her into his arms, holding her slight form close, stroking her golden hair. He finally loosened his grip enough so that she could look up at him. Her eyes were full of conflicting emotions, confusion, fear, hope, frustration.

"I love you," he said.

Then Flynn kissed his Rapunzel.

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><p>C'mon, that deserves a "d'awwww!" You know you like a little fluff every now and then. REVIEW, if you want any more :D<p> 


	3. The Fall

They were running _again_ from those dratted guards. She didn't even understand why they were so set on catching Flynn. He'd mentioned it had to do with his satchel. She knew he was a thief, that much was certain. But what he could have _possibly _taken to give the guards enough incentive to chase them _all over_ this gosh-darned forest?

She had no idea. It didn't change the fact that they were running for their lives. She was forced to carry her hair, it could get caught while she ran, or the guards could grab it and stop her. Her bare feet pattered again the moss, which was thankfully soft. She gasped as she ran – eighteen years cooped up in a one-room tower had done absolutely nothing for her stamina. Still, the adrenaline caused by the thundering of metallic boots spurred her on.

Well, that and the fact that Flynn was practically dragging her along. One of his hands rested on the small of her back, pressing her to keep moving. His other hand held her frying pan – the same one she had initially clobbered him with.

As she glanced over her shoulder, worried the guards were gaining on them, she saw Flynn's eyes searching the surroundings for an escape. She, personally, saw no possible way out.

Apparently, Flynn did.

He suddenly tugged at her sharply, jerking her off their path. She struggled to keep up, and not to lose her footing on the slicker moss. The guards also had trouble keeping up, one or two slipping and crashing into a nearby tree.

"Jump!" he shouted in warning, launching himself off the ledge she hadn't realized was there, and forcing her to follow him by gripping her arm. She screamed, and let go of her armful of hair in terror, the bushes below looked way too far down to keep them both from dying.

As they fell, Flynn _somehow_ managed to shift them around. He let go of the frying pan, and used his newly-freed hand to pull her close to him, tucking her up against his body. His other hand released her arm and landed on the back of her head, protecting it.

And then came the landing. Flynn landed on his back, absorbing most of the impact, and she could feel the force of it run through him, and then jarr through her own body. The wind was forced out of her lungs, and she lay there immobile for a little while. The guards had already peered over into the little gully and assumed them both dead by the time she could breathe again. It wasn't hard to see why they'd thought her and Flynn dead. It _was _a long fall, even though some low bushes and plant growth had cushioned the impact. From above, it was nearly impossible to see that the dirt was loose and moist rather than hard-packed. Her hair laid strewn out like a fallen ribbon, and Flynn's arms had come loose after they hit.

She finally managed to move, sitting back on a crumpled fern and taking stock of herself. Head? Still attached. Arms? Check. Legs? Check. She turned around, expecting Flynn to be shaking out his hair or smirking over how _great_ his escape was, or something mildly irritating like that. Instead he lay motionless even now. Eyes closed, arms limp.

"Flynn?" she asked in a quavering voice. "Flynn?"

There was no answer. She felt tears fill her eyes. She was alone in a forest, and had no idea which way was out. She was scared, and alone again. But most importantly, she'd lost her first and only human companion. Her friend, her guide. The reason she was free.

"Flynn! FLYNN!" she shrieked. "Please don't be dead! Please! I don't know where I am, I don't know what to do, I'm lost and I have no one else and I miss you! Please come back! PLEASE!" She sobbed, collapsing on to his chest. Hysterics overtook her, and she struggled and failed to fight them off.

She wasn't sure how long it was before she calmed down a bit. She lay there, face and arms against his chest, drained. A few tears still trickled down her cheeks. Then, she felt something shift. She pulled back, noticing that Flynn was moving. He groaned, then propped himself up.

"Ow. That was probably not a great idea," he grumbled, his movements slow and stiff. She sobbed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Okay, okay! I'm alright. Don't worry Rapunzel."


End file.
